Germany has one of Europe’s largest telecom markets, as befits a country with a population of more than 82 million. Penetration in the broadband and mobile sectors is about average for the region. Both the fixed network and broadband markets are dominated by Telekom Deutschland, though other notable players including freenet, Vodafone and Telef?nica.

These altnets have gained market share as the incumbent continues to struggle against regulated network access conditions and market competition, both of which have led to declining revenue during the last few years. The number of mobile subscribers approaches 114 million. In common with most developed markets, the main driver for growth is in mobile data, with the number of mobile broadband subscribers having increased rapidly in recent years on the back of universally available 3G infrastructure and the extensive reach of LTE networks.

Germany’s digital media market has grown strongly on the back of DSL, cable and fibre infrastructure, all of which are continuing to undergo upgrades with new technologies. The capacity for consumers to make use of videostreaming services will increase considerably during the next few years as cable operators begin to roll out services based on the DOCSIS3.1 standard across their footprints, complementing the expansion of Telekom Deutschland’s FttP network and the implementation of vectoring VDSL and G.fast technologies. Together, the deployment of these technologies is helping the country reach broadband targets set for 2020, as well as the more ambitious aim of creating a gigabit Germany by 2025.

This report introduces the key aspects of the German telecom market, providing data on the country’s fixed network infrastructure as well as key regulatory developments including the status of interconnection, local loop unbundling, number portability, and carrier preselection. It also profiles the major operators, and details the development of Next Generation Networks and issues relating to NGN access. The report also covers the mobile voice, data and broadband markets, including an overview of regulatory developments and an evaluation of the main operators and their strategies for dealing with competition and emerging technologies in coming years.